Showing papers by "Mercè Brunet published in 1994"

Total and metallothionein-bound cadmium in the liver and the kidney of a population in Barcelona (Spain).

Abstract: Since the beginning of XXth century environmental pollution by cadmium has been increasing in most European countries due to industrial and agricultural emissions Among the heavy metals of environmental concern, cadmium is one of the most widespread with variable but significant concentrations normally found in tobacco smoke, food, drinking water, and soils Cadmium has a broad spectrum of toxic effects in man After ingestion and absorption a significant fraction of the metal accumulates in tissues with an estimated half-life of about 10 years in humans Kidney is the main target organ of both accumulation and toxicity with nephrotoxic effects being better understood In recent years the possible nephrotoxic effects of cadmium at low concentrations on the general population have been a major concern Toxic effects of cadmium on renal function cause increased proteinuria, aminoaciuria, glucosuria and decreased phosphate tubular reabsorption Early signs of renal toxicity include an increase in the urinary excretion of low-molecular-weight (LMWP) proteins which are normally reabsorbed by tubular cells Since nephrotoxicity is in most cases an irreversible process, great efforts are actually being made to develop biological markers for the early detection of structural or functional changes at various sites of the renal parenchyma This studymore » evaluates the concentration of cadmium in the kidney and the liver in the urban general population of Barcelona Cadmium bound to metallothionein (MT) was also assessed in both tissues since it is well known that this protein plays a crucial role in cadmium kinetics and toxicity The metallothionein is a low molecular weight protein with high cysteine and metal content It serves a homeostatic function for the essential metals, and also a detoxification function for metals such as cadmium and mercury 20 refs, 2 figs, 2 tabs« less